The Pirate Prince
by Ardeths Deadly Ferret
Summary: AU!What would have happened if the crew of the Black Pearl was never cursed? And Jack Sparrow remained Captain? And how would this effect young Will Turner, whose father Bootstrap Bill had gone on to become the captain of his own ship?
1. Shattering Family

Disclaimer: I own none of the characters. They're probably property of Disney. I'm not quite sure.   
  
Summary: AU! What would have happened if the crew of the Black Pearl was never cursed? And Jack Sparrow remained Captain? And how would this effect young Will Turner, whose father Bootstrap Bill had gone on to become the captain of his own ship?  
  
The Pirate Prince  
  
The clear blue waters of the Carribean twinkled in the afternoon sunlight. A gentle breeze flew across the ocean, pulling a single ship along. The ship looked like a common British military vessel, for it had once been one. Now, however, it was The Talon, a pirate ship.   
  
Commanded by the honorable Bootstrap Bill, The Talon was a formidable opponent for the British Navy. Currently, Bootstrap was at the wheel, examining his compass when a loud splash caused him to look up sharply. A dark haired boy was leaning over the edge of the ship.  
  
" Will!" Bootstrap snapped. Upon hearing his name, the boy looked up and turned around, meeting his father's annoyed gaze.  
  
" What have I told you about leaning over the ship's edge?" Bootstrap continued. Will, who still had his left arm hanging over the edge of the ship, pulled it back onboard to reveal a rope. With further pulling, a bucket was revealed.  
  
" Sorry, Father," Will replied, guilt reflecting his brown eyes. " I just was trying to catch some fish. Nibs said if I helped him catch fish for dinner, he'd give me his dagger." Charles Nibs was the ship's cook and one of Will's best friends. Despite their age difference, the pair got along splendidly. Probably because even though Nibs was at the ripe age of 40, he acted like a 13 year old.   
  
" Oh, did he now?" Bootstrap asked, one dark eyebrow raised. Will nodded his head fervently.  
  
" Yes. The one with the silver handle." Will always had a fascination with knives and swords.   
  
" Will, you know I don't like you handling weapons," Bootstrap stated. Will was about to protest when one of the crew shouted,  
  
" We're commin' up on Tortuga, Cap'n!" Bootstrap turned around, to look at the island they were advancing upon. After a moment, he turned back to his son, who was looking quite unhappy.  
  
" We'll discuss this later," The elder man said. Will muttered something under his breath and marched away, letting the bucket clatter to the floor behind him.  
  
" 'e certainly is a pirate's son, eh cap'n?" Remarked one of the crew. Bootstrap ran a hand over the bottom portion of his face.  
  
" Yes," He said, distantly. " A pirate's son indeed..."  
  
@ @ @   
  
Will sat on his bed, grumbling to himself. The sun had gone down a few hours ago. While the entire crew except for two went onto Tortuga, Will was left onboard, in his room. The two crew members who remained behind were given strict instructions not to let Will leave his bedroom. They were currently stationed just outside the door, drinking rum and playing cards.  
  
' This is so unfair!' Will thought miserably. ' I'm thirteen! Father always thinks I'm too young to do anything. Mother never treated me like that.' At the thought of his mother, Will's breath hitched slightly. When Will was five, Margaret Turner, had died rather suddenly. She had been out on an errand. She had been shot and her body looted. Bootstrap Bill had heard the fate of his wife, and come to England to retrieve his son and avenge his wife. He accomplished both.  
  
' Father is just afraid of losing me like Mother!' Will thought as he kicked at the wooden chair for his desk. Will paced the small room like a caged animal. Outside the door, Will could hear the drunken laughter of the two men guarding his door.   
  
Suddenly, an idea struck him. He grinned slyly and moved over towards the door. He stood in front of the door and stared at it. And waited.  
  
He didn't have to wait long. Not ten minutes later, there were two thuds and then loud snores followed.  
  
Will cracked the door open, brushing his long hair out of his face so he could get a better look. The guards were sleeping like logs just outside the door. Will grinned again and pushed the door open further. He crept past the guards quietly. Once he reached the stairs, Will picked up his pace and moved to the top deck. He gazed around for a moment. The air smelled like liquor and the laughter of obviously drunk men could be heard. Will was ecstatic. After months of being on a ship at sea, he could finally set foot on land. No matter how foul it was. Will boldly walked off the ship and onto land. He noticed that like all the other ships at dock, none of them had guards. No doubt there was some sort of 'safety law' on Tortuga, stating that no man could steal another's ship.   
  
Laughing at his sudden freedom, Will ran around on the dock for a bit, getting his 'land legs' back. After the action was achieved, Will decided to explore Tortuga a bit. He followed the sounds of voices and laughter. It led him to a village style area. Many men lay around drinking rum, some straight from the barrel. A group of woman with much too make-up on and skimpy dresses were standing around. There was a loud crash and Will jumped aside just in time to avoid being crushed by two men who came flying out of a window. They seemed to be a fight. Nobody moved to stop them.  
  
Will watched the fight, his nose wrinkled with disgust. That sort of behavior would never be tolerated on his father's ship. Will was about to move on when something flashed and caught his eye. Something silver was reflecting the moonlight in a nearby alley. Will walked over to it and crouched down. It appeared to be chain. After some clawing at the soft dirt, Will pulled his prize from the ground. It turned out the chain was attached to a locket. Will spit on it, and rubbed it with his shirt sleeve. Words etched in the silver became visible. After some more polishing, Will was finally able to make out the words,  
  
" FOR MY ANGEL." Was carved into the locket. Will pried open the locket, which revealed an old, very small intricate painting of a woman with golden hair. Will wondered how such a beautiful thing would end up on a place such as Tortuga. No doubt, a pirate stole it. Will was about search the ground for anything else when the door of a nearby building opened and out walked his father, followed by another man with graying hair.  
  
" So, we have an accord?" His father said. The man nodded and spoke in a raspy voice,  
  
" Yes. I will see you tomorrow morning at the docks." Normally, Will would have wondered what his father was doing, but at the moment, Will was too panicked to be curious. If his father caught him, he was dead. Shoving the locket in his pants pocket, Will waited pelted down the street when the group of woman said something, causing his father to turn.   
  
Out of breath and sweaty, Will made it to The Talon. Sprinting on the deck and down the stairs, Will almost forgot about the two men guarding his room, but they were still asleep. Will entered his room, closed the door and used his shirt sleeves to wipe the sweat off his face. He walked over to the door and pounded on it to wake the guards up,  
  
" Hey! This isn't fair! I want to go on shore!" He shouted. His father would be coming back any moment and Will wanted the guards awake and able to honestly say they had never seen Will leave the ship.  
  
" Sorry, whelp, but it's the cap'n's orders." One of the men said, laughing. Good, they believed him. Sighing, Will walked over to his bed and lay down. He took the locket out of his pocket and examined it closely, his thumb rubbing over the engraved letters. A few moments later, Will heard the voice of his father. He shoved the locket under his pillow just as the man entered.  
  
" Still here?" Bootstrap said casually. " I'm surprised you didn't try to sneak off the ship." Will let out a slightly nervous laugh.  
  
" Oh come on, Father. Don't tell me you don't trust me?" His father grinned, walking over to Will and ruffled the boy's hair.  
  
" He-ey!" Will exclaimed, attempting to get his hair back in order. He hated when his father did that. His father took the chair that Will had kicked earlier and sat down in it. He sighed heavily. Will had a feeling of dread. The last time his father had acted like this, was when he had come to England and had to explain what had happened to his mother. Will sat upright, and watched his father intently, but said nothing.  
  
" Will, I've come to a decision. A pirate ship is no place for a son of mine. It's not fair to you, pulling you into a life like this." Will began to protest, but his father held up a hand to silence him.  
  
" And that is why I've arranged with a friend of mine to take you to a nearby military fort, Port Royal. There is a boys' home there..." This time, Will successfully interrupted his father.  
  
" An orphanage you mean! Don't send me away, Father! Please!" Will felt tears welling up in his eyes against his will. Bootstrap reached out and caught his son's face with his hand. The tears finally spilled from Will's eyes. Bootstrap ran a thumb across one of the tears and sighed again.  
  
" This is why I'm sending you away, Will. Not because I don't love you. I do. It's just, this is no life for a boy. Not for my son. I want you to grow up and get a respectable job. I want you to be happy." Will said nothing, but the tears continued to fall. For he knew, the only place he would ever be happy, was at his father's side.  
  
TBC..... 


	2. New Home

Disclaimer: Not mine. Um....the plot might be mine in legal terms or something, but seeing as this is a story based on a movie I doubt that would hold up in court....  
  
The Pirate Prince: Part Two  
  
Will stood on the deck of the The Lady Death, the ship owned by the man that Bootstrap had trusted Will with. The man, Captain Barbossa, had once been a fellow crewmember of Bootstrap's on the ship The Black Pearl. The Black Pearl still existed and was still controlled by the infamous pirate, Jack Sparrow, but a few years ago, Barbossa and the crew had mutinied. They had left Sparrow with a sinking Black Pearl and left him to die in the ocean. Nobody was quite sure how Sparrow managed to survive, let alone patch up his ship and get a new crew.   
  
  
  
Although, Will had heard this entire story from his father's crew before departing The Talon.   
  
Bootstrap, however had assured Will that Barbossa was a trustworthy man and not to worry. Will sometimes doubted his father's judgment. It was that judgment that had Will stuck on this blasted ship while his father, still on Tortuga, faded into the distance as The Lady Death pulled away.  
  
" Excuse me, Captain?" Will said after his father was finally lost from view. Barbossa, who was currently examining his compass, which appeared not to point North, looked up.  
  
" Yes, lad?" Will winced. Barbossa's voice sounded like nails against stone.   
  
" Um...if you don't mind me asking, how do you intend to drop me at Port Royal? You are pirates after all and with there being a military fort there and all....." Will trailed off as Barbossa stared at him. For a moment, Will thought that perhaps Barbossa hadn't considered this, but apparently he had.  
  
" We've got that all planned, my lad." Barbossa replied, a rare grin flickering across his features. " You'll see. Now run and play, boy." Will grumbled and walked down the deck, a small bag containing all his belongings slung over his shoulder. He found himself by the edge of the ship, looking down at the waves below. Will shoved his hands in his pants pockets, his right fist closing around the locket that his pants contained. Sighing to himself, Will leaned against the edge of the ship and closed his eyes.  
  
@ @ @  
  
" Do ye think 'e is dead?" Said a voice. Will blearily opened his eyes and found that he had fallen asleep, leaning against the rail. His legs were cramped from standing for- Will noted how the sun had gone down-hours. Fog rolled over the water, giving the area a very creepy feel to it.   
  
Suddenly, Will remembered the voice. He looked up and saw two men. One of the men had a glass eye and the other was balding.  
  
" See? 'e was just sleepin'. Don't be a twit, Ragetti." Said the balding man. Ragetti grinned at Will.  
  
" The cap'n said to come get you. We're givin' you to someone who won't get hanged for comin' onto Port Royal." Will stretched his stiff limbs and yawned.  
  
" Did my father know 'bout this plan?" Will asked. If his father didn't know about it, chances are, it was dangerous.  
  
" Most likely. Cap'n Barbossa got quite a pretty penny out of yer father to make sure ye get to Port Royal safely." The balding man replied. Will nodded and followed the two pirates as they led him to the a plank that attached The Lady Death to another ship. Barbossa stood at the plank. A man in a black cloak that covered his face stood beside him.   
  
" Good evenin' to ye, Will. This here is Samuel Smith. He'll be takin' you to Port Royal. Have fun, lad." Will nodded. He'd rather be with Samuel than Barbossa. The man made Will uncomfortable. As Will started to follow Samuel, who was already half-way across the plank, Barbossa leaned down and whispered in Will's ear,  
  
" Perhaps we will meet again somebody, Turner." Will looked back at Barbossa who smiled and tipped his hat as if nothing had happened.  
  
Will ran across the plank after Samuel.  
  
@ @ @  
  
Samuel delivered Will to Port Royal with instructions to go to the King's Boys' Home on South Street. Will stood on the dock, looking around at the busy merchants. So Port Royal was to be his home now. It certainly didn't feel like it.  
  
Will managed to find his way easily to the Home. The Boy's home was an old building with dead bushes all around the front door. Some sort of brown vine grew up the side of the building and the two of the lowermost windows were cracked.   
  
Not exactly the most inviting of places. Sighing to himself, Will walked up to the front door and knocked. There was the sound of barking from within the building and shouts.   
  
After a few moments, the door opened and an old woman poked her head out.  
  
" What do you want?" She croked. The woman had beady eyes and short silver hair that was partially hidden under a white bonnet.  
  
" Um...I'm Will Tuner. My father sent me to live here. This is the King's Boys' Home, right?" The woman nodded and opened the door further, motioning for Will to come in. Will adjusted the bag on his shoulder and went inside.   
  
The inside of the Home was hardly worth the royalty in it's name. The walls were cracked and stained, the floor was the color of dried blood and several dogs ran around, howling. A few boys stood at the top of the stairs. They looked about Will's age. The woman turned to Will.  
  
" I'm Mrs. Caldwell. Yer room is on the top floor, last room on the left side of the hallway. Don't expect me to help ye with any boyhood troubles or school ye. I'll put a roof over yer head and feed ye. That's all. I'll be in my sewing room. Don't bother me." Mrs. Caldwell marched away. Will wondered if his father had accidently sent Will to such a horrible place or if it was done on purpose.   
  
Cursing his rotten luck, Will walked up the stairs. The boys had disappeared. After a few more staircases, Will made it to his room. The door swung open easily. The room was small, but thankfully clean. The walls were painted white and the floor was a light brown. In the middle of the room was a bed with clean sheets atop it and night-table next to it. Against the left wall was a dresser for Will's clothes. Obviously someone had taken great care to arrange this room. Perhaps, Will's father knew the Home was a dump so he had a room arranged that would cheer Will up. Will liked that idea.  
  
On the right wall there was a window. Will walked over to it and saw a thick tree branch that, if it were a few inches longer, it would be inside the house. Will opened the window and heard the sounds of seagulls and the ocean that was not far off.   
  
Sighing to himself, Will tossed his bag on the floor and lay down on the bed. The bedroom door suddenly opened and in walked a few of the boys.  
  
" Why ye here?" Asked one of the boys, a stout young man with a crop of red hair on his head. Will was torn between answering the boy or telling him off for walking into his room without permission.  
  
" My father sent me here." Will responded. The boy laughed.  
  
" Another abandon case, eh? We're alike then. Me ma abandoned me too." Will's eyes darkened.  
  
" My father did not abandon me. He sent me here because....." Will stopped suddenly. He couldn't tell this boy that his Bill Turner was a pirate.  
  
The boy took the silence as Will not having an answer. He laughed again.  
  
" Don't worry. Ye'll get used to it. I did. We all did." He motioned towards the other boys who were standing behind him. Will was about to protest, but the boy held up a hand to silence him.  
  
" Our parents dinna want us. Get used to it." With a nod of his head, the boy and his companions exited the room, closing the door behind them. Will lay back on the bed, scowling at the ceiling. He couldn't live here. There was no way he could.   
  
He would run away. 


	3. Gibbs Brings A Guest

Disclaimer: I own nothing! Boo-yah!  
  
Note: Thanks to Emily (you rock!) for helping me figure out how to introduce Jack into the story.  
  
Part Three  
  
Will hated the boys' home with a passion. His room leaked and the boys were horribly annoying or just plain mean. That one boy-whom Will had learned was named Seamus- kept giving Will a knowing smile whenever the two met in the halls.   
  
The food was disgusting. It tasted as if it had been used to scrub the deck of a ship and the water was salty. When Will had been exploring the building, he'd discovered some stale bread hidden away. He'd taken all of it and was currently munching on a piece in his room as he stared out the window.  
  
Will had intended to run away the morning after he arrived, but there had been a horrible storm that started up and was currently still showing its force. Will couldn't step outside without soaked to the bone with freezing water.  
  
Will lie on his bed chewing on the stale bread, listening to the steady pounding of the rain against the roof. It was late at night and the boy was tired. By the door, there was a metal can on the floor that Will used to catch water droplets. It clinked steadily, lulling Will to sleep.  
  
* * *  
  
The ocean waves were vicious as a small sailboat struggled to stay afloat on them. The man inside the boat was Joshamee Gibbs, first mate to Captain Jack Sparrow of the Black Pearl. Most of their supplies had been lost in the storm. Gibbs had been sent to get more from the nearest island. Port Royal.   
  
His body was soaked. A wool green blanket was wrapped around his body, but it made no difference. Tossing the blanket aside, he continued sailing until he finally made it to the dock. Soaked, Gibbs tied his boat up and stepped onto the wooden dock. Nobody was around at this hour. Shivering, he looked up at the horizon and saw the sun coming up. The rain slowed. Perhaps it would be a better day tomorrow.  
  
* * *  
  
Will awoke to the sounds of birds chirping. He cracked his eyes open to see the sun streaming through the window.  
  
THE SUN?!  
  
Will stood up and pushed open his window with minor trouble. He looked outside and saw the sun. There wasn't a cloud in the sky. It was warm and Will could hear people speaking outside. Seagull's let out shrill cries and flew through the air, as did other sorts of birds.  
  
Excited that he finally had the chance to run away, Will grabbed his bag, which he hadn't unpacked yet, shoved the remains of the bread inside and ran out of his room, down the main stairs. The entire house seemed to still be asleep because nobody stopped him when he exited the front door and crashed straight into a young girl with golden girls and long blue dress on.  
  
" Oh! I'm sorry!" The girl exclaimed. She looked about Will's age. And somewhat familiar. Will couldn't place where. He stared at her for a moment as she straightened her dress. Will thought she must have thought he was angry with her, because she blushed when she looked at him.  
  
" Um...I'm Elizabeth. Elizabeth Swann." She said, still blushing.  
  
" Will Turner." Will replied. He looked at her for a moment more and then it came to him. Elizabeth looked like the woman in the locket. He dug into his pocket and pulled out the silver necklace. He clicked it open with his fingers and held out the small picture for the girl to see.  
  
" Do you know her?" He said, but when he looked up, she was gone. Will looked around, before shoving the locket back into the safety of his pants.  
  
Sighing to himself, he turned around and headed towards the docks. As he walked, he wondered what had happened to Elizabeth. Why had she disappeared like that?  
  
***  
  
Elizabeth pelted down the alleyway. She hadn't wanted to leave Will so suddenly. It would have been nice to make a friend outside of the maids in her father's house. Elizabeth wasn't even supposed to be here. She had snuck outside when her father had gone into a meeting, but the man had learned of his daughter's disappearance and sent guards to search for her. Honestly, Father was so paranoid. Whenever she was out of his sight, he panicked.  
  
Perhaps it was because her mother had been supposedly kidnapped by pirates when Elizabeth had only be a year old. Elizabeth didn't know if that's what really happened to her mother, but it was possible.  
  
Her father had had a silver locket made with Elizabeth's mother's picture in it. He had given it to Elizabeth a few days after her mother disappeared. Elizabeth had lost it a year later when she wandered off to the docks.   
  
Elizabeth stopped to catch her breath and hoped she would meet Will Turner again.  
  
***  
  
Will wandered around on the docks. He didn't know what brought him there. His original plan had been to get someone to take him to his father, but his father would probably send him straight back to Port Royal.   
  
Will sighed and paced a certain spot on the dock. He watched as a stout man loaded barrels into a small sailboat. A thought occurred to Will. Perhaps, if he did make it back to his father, he could stay with him. Perhaps his father would be so impressed with Will's determination to stay at sea with him that he would be allowed to stay.  
  
It was unlikely, but Will was a hopeful boy and had no other plans. The current problem was, how to get out of Port Royal.   
  
Many ideas floated through his thoughts. Most of them involved a sword and Will taking over a ship. Those plans were dropped for obvious reasons. With a weary sigh, Will sat on the dock, his legs crossed and face in his hands. What was he going to do? He'd never leave this dreadful place. He looked up aimlessly and spotted a small cage. Looking closer, Will saw a small cat or something close to a cat was crouched inside. Will scooted over to the cage and placed his hands on the bars. The animal eyed him.  
  
" Hey there," Will said softly. " You're not the only thing that's caged." Will closed his eyes and wondered if he was ever going to see his father again.   
  
" Heading back out to sea in that tiny little boat, sir?" Said a voice. Will opened his eyes and turned his body to see who was speaking. It was the stout man he had seen loading the small boat earlier. The ship's owner, a man with a beard and long hair grinned and responded,  
  
" Aye. My crew'll be needing these supplies. This ship'll do for the time being." Will looked at the ship. Suddenly a plan formed in Will's mind. A slightly suicidal one if things went wrong, but Will was willing to take the chance. Waiting until both the owner of the ship and the stout man were occupied, Will crept across the dock and into the sailboat. A green blanket was tossed on the floor of the boat. Will lay down right next to the barrels and tossed the blanket over him. With luck, he would look like supplies.  
  
After a few moments, the owner of the boat said that he had to leave. Will felt the boat bob up and down as the man entered the boat. Will was nervous for a moment, but the man didn't seem to notice that Will was there. After a few more minutes, the boat was on it's way out into the ocean.  
  
***  
  
Will was dozing under the blanket, when the small boat was pulled upwards out of the water. In his dazed state, Will almost cried out, but suddenly remembered where he was. The boat was probably being pulled onto the ship that it belonged to. There was a loud thump as the boat hit the ship deck and Will heard footsteps.  
  
" Leave the supplies there for a bit. We'll unload once we're away from here, savvy?" There was a loud 'aye' from other people on board. Will stayed perfectly still, even though the urge to leap up and find out what ship he was on was strong.  
  
He felt the ship jolt into movement. It was quite fast. Will briefly wondered if it was one of the navy ships. But then why would someone have to buy supplies and bring them out to the ship? Pirates, maybe?   
  
As Will was pondering all of this, he drifted off to sleep again.  
  
Will knew he was dreaming. Visions of his father and The Talon drifted before his eyes. Someone nearby was talking and Will smelled rum, driving him into consciousness. He accidentally groaned aloud. His eyes widened and he hoped nobody had heard him. There was the sound of a bottle being placed down on wood and someone approached the boat.  
  
Will closed his eyes tightly. He knew what would happen next. He was going to be discovered. The blanket whooshed off his body and Will stared upwards at a man who indeed looked like a pirate. He had long, unkempt black hair with beads on the front strands. His long black beard was adorned with beads as well. A red bandanna sat upon his head and his clothing was certainly filthy.  
  
Will squirmed nervously and looked upwards. The sky was dark except for the stars. They had been traveling all day.  
  
" Well, mates," Said the man. " We've got ourselves a stowaway. What's your name lad?" Will was about to state his name when a lesson from long ago echoed in his head.  
  
' Never give your rightful name to anyone you don't know.' The lesson was repeated in both his father's and mother's voice.  
  
" Thomas," Said Will. " Thomas Black." The man was thoughtful for a moment and then grinned.  
  
" Well, Tommy, me lad, I am Jack Sparrow. Captain of the ship you have decided to hitch a ride upon," For emphasis, Sparrow banged a cane he was holding in his hand against the wooden deck of the ship. " Welcome aboard the Black Pearl."  
  
TBC...... 


	4. Life on the Black Pearl

Author's Note: ....Hm. A new chapter. Wow. Sorry about the delay. It's been, what, almost a year?  
  
Chapter 4  
  
Will woke with a start. He had always been comfortable sleeping on ships and for a brief instant he felt confusion as to why he should wake so startled, but memory soon returned.  
  
He wasn't on his father's ship. He was on The Black Pearl, a ship run by strangers that Will had snuck onto in hopes of getting to his father. He had been caught as a stowaway, but the captain of the ship, Jack Sparrow, had been oddly kind. He had agreed to let Will travel on the ship as long as Will would act as a cabin boy, performing several boring, but somewhat useful chores.  
  
Will had asked if they could drop him at Tortuga. He knew his father stopped there every few weeks to restock on supplies and it was there that Will would be able to meet up with him. Finding his father was Will Turner's reason, but Thomas Black's reason was simply, he had been born there and wanted to return.  
  
Jack had agreed to this all, nodding along with an odd look on his face, as if he knew what Will really wanted. Will found Jack strange. Whenever the pirate spoke, he waved his arms about and he walked as though he were constantly drunk. Will suspected the weave in his walk may be because of so much time spent out on the ocean. It was as if Jack had constant sea legs and could never truly live on land again.  
  
The rest of the crew....Will found them interesting. There was a mute named Cotton with a pet parrot, Gibbs, and Ana Maria, a strange woman whom Will didn't even try to understand. The rest of the crew kept a distance from Will, as if they could sense something wrong with him.  
  
Will turned over onto his stomach, causing his hammock to swing back and forth. He had been with the Pearl for two weeks now. Jack had said that they would be arriving at Tortuga soon. The past few weeks had been spent finishing up "business". Will spent most of his time cleaning and helping prepare meals. Girls work, really.  
  
"Oh, Thomas," Sang a voice. Will groaned softly and covered his head. He knew that voice. Jack Sparrow arrived below deck into Will's sleeping quarters and grinned,  
  
"Good morning, Tommy. Now, sleep is a wonderful thing," Jack walked over to Will's hammock and kicked it slightly with his foot. The hammock swung back and forth rapidly and Will tumbled to the ground with a cry, his blanket landed on top of him a few seconds later. Will muttered curses to himself and shifted into sitting position. When he looked up, Jack had a broom in his hand.  
"Yet a clean ship is a wonderful thing too," Will opened his mouth to tell Jack just exactly how "wonderful" he felt about Jack right now when the pirate held up his hand for silence,  
  
"Now before you complain, remember that you snuck onto my ship. I want my quarters dust free by noon. Have fun, matey," And with that, Jack droped the broom on the floor by Will and swaggered off to drink rum, no doubt. Will cursed some more and then rose to his feet, stretching his limbs and brushing wrinkles out of his clothing. He had stop sleeping in his clothing.  
  
Grabbing the broom, Will stumbled around for a bit, due to the rapid movement of the sea. Finally managing to get up onto the deck, Will went to Jack's quarters. The captain was down in the kitchens, which relieved Will a great deal. Will could clean alone without Jack sitting the rambling or just making generally strange comments.  
  
So, Will swept and swept and swept. Then, he swept some more for a good measure. By noon, all the dust in the room was no longer on the floor, but on Will's hair, skin, and clothing. Coughing, Will once again stumbled around until he was on the deck again. He was really begin to despise this ship.  
  
"Hey, boy! Think fast!" Will whirled around just in time to be splashed in the face with a bucket full of sea water. Spluttering and wiping salt water out of his eyes, Will shouted,  
  
"What was that for?" He blinked his eyes open just in time to see Ana Maria standing before him, a bucket held in her hands,  
  
"You were covered in dirt. Now you aren't. I'd suggest you dry yourself though. You are dripping all over the deck," Will grumbled to himself as the female pirate walked off. The entire ship was out to get him. Really.  
  
Tossing the broom onto the deck, Will walked off to the kitchen to get some food. As he arrived there, he noted Jack sitting at a table, alone and drinking. Will attempted to grab and apple and run, but the pirate captain saw him,  
  
"Tommy!" He exclaimed, "Come sit with me," Will winced. He had been spotted. Dragging his feet, Will walked over to the table and sat down as far away from the captain as possible.  
  
"Finished your cleanin', have you?" Jack asked. Will nodded and rested his head on his palm.  
  
"You seem unhappy, Tom. Are you unhappy?" Will blinked at Jack's strange question. He raised an eyebrow and responded,  
  
"Well....not really, but who would be happy cleaning?" Jack grinned at Will's response and tapped his fingers on the table,  
  
"Well, we'll be at Tortuga in just a few days, if that brightens yer day," Will's eyes widened,  
  
"Really?" He asked. Jack nodded. Will grinned.  
  
"Of course, if you ever need anything once we part ways, don't hesitate to come crawling back to me. Yer an awfully good worker. Better than some of the scum these days," Will blinked. Was Jack actually complimenting him?  
  
Will stood and grabbed an apple from a barrel,  
"Thanks, Jack. I'll remember that," Biting into the apple, Will left to kitchen, heading back towards his hammock.  
  
Author's Note: The next chapter won't take so long, I swear! Swears on the precious! Erm, anyhoo, that was really a little filler chapter. Just stating what Will's life is like on the Pearl. Heh. 


End file.
